Manual: chsh

CHSH(1)							User Commands						     CHSH(1)

NAME
       chsh - change login shell

SYNOPSIS

       chsh [options] [LOGIN]

DESCRIPTION
       The chsh command changes the user login shell. This determines the name of the user's initial login command. A normal
       user may only change the login shell for her own account; the superuser may change the login shell for any account.

OPTIONS
       The options which apply to the chsh command are:

       -h, --help
	   Display help message and exit.

       -R, --root CHROOT_DIR
	   Apply changes in the CHROOT_DIR directory and use the configuration files from the CHROOT_DIR directory. Only
	   absolute paths are supported.

       -s, --shell SHELL
	   The name of the user's new login shell. Setting this field to blank causes the system to select the default login
	   shell.

       If the -s option is not selected, chsh operates in an interactive fashion, prompting the user with the current login
       shell. Enter the new value to change the shell, or leave the line blank to use the current one. The current shell is
       displayed between a pair of [ ] marks.

NOTE
       The only restriction placed on the login shell is that the command name must be listed in /etc/shells, unless the
       invoker is the superuser, and then any value may be added. An account with a restricted login shell may not change
       her login shell. For this reason, placing /bin/rsh in /etc/shells is discouraged since accidentally changing to a
       restricted shell would prevent the user from ever changing her login shell back to its original value.

       For this reason, placing /bin/rsh in /etc/shells is discouraged since accidentally changing to a restricted shell
       would prevent the user from ever changing her login shell back to its original value.

FILES
       /etc/passwd
	   User account information.

       /etc/shells
	   List of valid login shells.

       /etc/login.defs
	   Shadow password suite configuration.

SEE ALSO
       chfn(1), login.defs(5), passwd(5).

shadow-utils 4.17.4					 02/02/2026						     CHSH(1)